


Cut

by grievingcain



Category: Gintama
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 22:36:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6629764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grievingcain/pseuds/grievingcain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bansai gives Takasugi a haircut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cut

**Author's Note:**

> Me and my silly headcanons. I just love BanTaka so much... and I have zero creativity for titles.
> 
> I took some liberties with Bansai's past since nothing about it has been revealed in canon.
> 
> It's unbeta'd, so sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language.

Bansai quietly strummed the strings of his shamisen. The instrument made a soft sound, and the calm melody filled the room. It was one of Takasugi's favorites, and Bansai enjoyed playing it for him.

The man in front of him was sitting with his back leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe. His one good eye was closed and his face had a tranquil expression. His kiseru was lying on his right hand, which was resting on his leg bent on the floor, and a thin wisp of smoke escaped from the tip. The smell of opium mixed with other things that Takasugi used to smoke was fairly strong, but Bansai was already used to it, so he wasn’t bothered.

Bansai knew the notes by heart, and playing the shamisen was so natural for him that he almost didn't have to pay attention at all. He allowed himself to get distracted, lifting his face and viewing the other man, observing the relaxed features of his face, and his hair that swayed slowly with the help of the breeze that came through the open balcony's door.

Takasugi seemed to be asleep. His head was bent, a bit lowered, and he had been motionless for a few minutes, appearing to have forgotten about the kiseru on his hand. Bansai analyzed him, and at last, his attention was focused on the purple-shaded hair of his leader, that was clearly longer than usual. His bangs, that normally only covered his left eye, were almost covering the right one. The sides were long enough to pass his chin, and for what Bansai had noticed before, the hair on the back of his head had already grown past his nape.

Without noticing, Bansai's hands stopped moving, and the music was discontinued, making the only sound in the room become the light breeze, that Bansai couldn’t even listen because he was still too concentrated on his leader.

His line of thought was quickly interrupted when Takasugi lifted his head and looked at him with his only green eye.

"Is there something wrong?" The deep voice sounded.

Bansai, although had been surprised, was fast to reply.

“Nothing... I just got a bit distracted, I daresay.”

“Is my face that distracting?” Takasugi asked, with a smirk showing up on his lips.

“It’s not that,” he replied “I was just thinking about your hair.”

“My… Hair?” Takasugi asked confused.

“It has gotten longer than usual, I daresay. Do you intend to grow it?”

Takasugi smirked again, and suddenly seemed to remember the kiseru on his hand, lifting it to put it between his lips. He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke unhurriedly before answering.

“I just don’t have anyone to cut it for me, and I don’t like doing it myself.”

Bansai continued to stare at him with his eyes behind the sunglasses. He hesitated a little, but ended up asking.

“May I do it for you?”

Takasugi took another drag.

"Can you?"

“Yes. I mean, I cut my own. And I used to cut my mother’s when I was younger.”

“Oh,” Takasugi smiled once again, as he rested his hand on his leg while still holding his kiseru “If a woman trusted you to do such a job I believe I am in good hands.”

“She… kind of didn’t have a choice, I daresay. I wasn’t born in a wealthy family. We didn’t have money to waste on frivolous things. So I learned a few things.”

Bansai stopped talking, and for a second asked himself why he had told that. It wasn't like his past was important for his leader, or as if he actually cared. But thinking again, Bansai noticed he hadn't talked about his mother to anyone in a long time, and he was only able to expose that small trivia to Takasugi because he trusted the man deeply.

Takasugi listened carefully to the words. His face was difficult to read, but it didn't show any bad emotion. He went back to put the kiseru between his lips and nodded.

“Alright. Then do it. Cut my hair.”

“Now?”

“Are you busy now?”

“No, it’s fine… I’ll grab a razor, then.”

“No scissors?”

“I do better with straight razors, I daresay.”

Bansai got up and walked to the door, leaving the room and closing it afterwards. Takasugi smoked his kiseru once more before discarding it for the next few hours, and awaited the return of his subordinate.

Bansai soon reappeared through the door. He had a razor in one hand, and a folded white sheet in another.

“Would you like to do it here? You can get hair spread around your room, I daresay.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just close the doors.”

Bansai held out the sheet on the floor as Takasugi stood up and closed the doors, preventing the wind to continue blowing into his room.

“Sit, please” Bansai asked, indicating the sheet.

Takasugi did as he was told, sitting with both his legs crossed on top of the sheet. Bansai got closer, and put himself on his knees behind the shorter man. He took off his sunglasses, placing it by his side, and already had the razor in his hand, when he noticed a hurdle preventing him from starting his work.

The bandages around Takasugi’s head.

Bansai had been travelling with Takasugi’s crew for only a few months, and so far he had never seen Takasugi without the bandages covering his left eye. He was a bit afraid of asking, but he couldn’t proceed otherwise, so he swallowed dry and spoke.

“You will need to remove your bandages, I daresay.”

What followed his words was silence. An uncomfortable silence that lasted just a few seconds but felt like minutes. Bansai was afraid he had asked something unacceptable, but the simple fact that Takasugi didn’t react in an aggressive way was already a little comforting. He was ready to apologize and try to find a way to cut the man’s hair with the bandages on when Takasugi finally replied.

“Fine,” he said.

Bansai placed the razor on the sheet next to his sunglasses, and began to unwrap the bandages around Takasugi's head. He unrolled them slowly and carefully, and when he was done, placed them on the sheet.

At last, he took the razor back in his hand, ready to start his work without any other obstacle to stop him. Bansai took a strand of Takasugi's hair in his left hand. He hadn't put much thinking on it before, but now that he touched it, he could feel how thin and soft Takasugi's hair was, contrary to what the dark color indicated. But he tried to not get distracted, and focused on what he was doing. He cut off the excess of hair with the blade, allowing the strands to fall on the sheet.

Bansai repeated the same process a handful of times, until the hair on the back of Takasugi's head was set and in the height he usually kept.

Bansai got up, and stood in front of Takasugi before kneeling down again. The smaller man had his head lowered, the long bangs covering almost all of his face. Without thinking about what he was doing, Bansai put the tip of his fingers on Takasugi's chin, forcing him to raise the man’s head.

His leader stared. He didn't seem to be mad at his insolence, but once again Bansai wasn't able to read his expression.

Bansai raised his hand to reach Takasugi's fringe, and pulled it to the side, in order to be able to see his face better. Takasugi didn't say a word, but firmly stared at him with his one eye. The other one, Bansai could see now, was permanently closed, and the eyelids were only slightly deeper than normal. Contrary to what he had expected, there was no scar.

He grabbed the razor again, ready to start the last part of his job.

“The left side is longer, right?”

“Yes” Takasugi answered. His voice sounded lower than usual.

Takasugi closed his eye, as Bansai started cut his bangs, being as careful as he could possibly be.

"It's done, I daresay."

Takasugi shook his head slightly and put a hand over his hair, feeling it shorter, and finally noticing the feeling of air on his nape. His lips curled into a smile that he directed at his subordinate, who remained on his knees in front of him.

That smile was enough to break all the tension between them, and Bansai felt less like he had crossed a line he shouldn't have crossed.

“Seems good enough.”

“I hope it pleases you.”

“It will.”

Takasugi turned to find his bandages on the sheet and picked them up, offering them to Bansai.

“Rewrap it” he ordered. But his tone wasn’t severe.

“Of course.”

And so he did. This time he was in front of Takasugi, and the man never stopped looking at him with a rather pleased expression.

When they were done, Takasugi got up from the sheet and walked back to the door, reopening it and sitting back in his original position, leaning against the doorframe. Bansai used the sheet to make a small pack, with all the strands of hair that had been cut inside it, ready to be discarded. Luckily the floor had remained clean, as both of the men's clothes.

Bansai was ready to leave the room when he heard Takasugi's voice again.

“I will need you to assist me with this more times,” he said. Bansai turned his head and saw the smile playing on his lips.

He smiled back.

“It’s gonna be a pleasure.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was supposed to be divided in three parts, the first one happening not long after Bansai joined the Kiheitai, the second happening while Takasugi was in a coma, and the third happening post-war. I ended up writing only the first part. I might add the rest in the future, or maybe it'll stay an oneshot.
> 
> Thanks for reading it


End file.
